Audience & institution

1. INSTITUTIONS AND AUDIENCES
FILM INDUSTRY
REVISION OF PRODUCTION,
DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING

2. AIMS
• To understand the focus for KEY TERMS
the Audience and Audience
Institutions section of your Institution
June Exam
Production
Subsidiary
• To understand the structure
Distribution
of a Cultural Circuit
Marketing
• To understand the different Exhibition
sectors of the film industry Horizontal Integration
Vertical Integration

3. CULTURAL CIRCUIT
What they have
produced
Media
Text
Target
Institution
Audience
Who has produced Who it is produced
the media text for.

4. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL INTEGRATION
Often a single parent company will own multiple
companies in the film industry. HORIZONTAL
The parent company
This is divided into two types of ownership: owns multiple
companies at the same
stage of the film
industry. A smaller
PRODUCTION PRODUCTION PRODUCTION company, owned by the
parent is a subsidiary.
VERTICAL
DISTRIBUTION The parent company
For example Walt Disney also owns:
For example Warner Bros owns: owns multiple
companies across
•Warner BrosFilms (Production)
•Miramax Studios different stages of the
film industry.
EXHIBITION •Hollywood Pictures
•Warner Bros (Distribution)
•Used to own Warner Bros Cinemas
•Pixar Animation What are the
in the UK (Exhibition advantages for a parent
company of each type
of ownership?

7. THE EXAM
Section B: Institutions and Audiences
Candidates should be ABLE to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution,
marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as the nature of
audience consumption and the relationships between audiences and institutions. In addition,
candidates should be familiar with:
•the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;
•the importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production, distribution and marketing;
•the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution,
marketing and exchange;
•the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;
•the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;
•the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by
international or global institutions;
•the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns
and trends of audience behaviour.
This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies based
upon one of the specified media areas.

8. Exam Translation Example
The issues raised by media How the ownership of the As case studies, use
ownership in contemporary production, distribution and Warner Bros and Warp and
media practice exhibition companies compare the types of films
affects the type of films that that they make and how
are made. they make sure they reach
their target audience
The importance of cross Understand how all aspects Compare how Warp and
media convergence and of the media (websites, Warner Bros films are
synergy in production, newspapers, tv etc) are marketed through other
aspects of the media. Look at
distribution and marketing used to market a film and
specific examples of TDK and
show you understand how TIE, discuss horizontal and
companies work together to vertical integration and
produce and distribute compare the different types of
films. marketing campaigns and how
they target audiences.
The technologies that have Show you are aware of how From your case studies look at
been produced in recent years new technology has been used how filming in HD, Imax and
at the levels of production, to improve the making, look at how SFX is added at
distribution, marketing and distributing, marketing and the editing stage. Analyse how
exchange. exhibition on film. the Internet influences the way
films are marketed. Look at
digital distribution of films.

9. The significance of Show you understand how the You need to be able to explore
hardware and content for increase and improvements how the affordability of new
institutions and audiences made in technology are technology has impacted upon
affecting the ways that films are the making, distribution and
made and distributed today. exhibition of film in relation to
Also, be able to assess how your case studies. You should
technological improvements also discuss the emergence of
have impacted the viewing blu-ray, piracy and the new
experience, at home and in the wave of 3D as well as analysing
cinema. new ways of distributing films
that could have helped TIE such
as digital distribution.
The importance of Understand how new media Include information from bullet
technological convergence technologies can combine points 3 and 4 here as well but
for institutions and to produce, market, also give specific examples
from your case study on how
audiences. distribute and exhibit a film new technologies can combine
successfully to reach a target audience. TIE-
Greenroom digital approached
Britfilm.tv to launch a site take
over to market the film to target
audience. TDK – whysoserious
and Ibelieveinharveydent.com
ARG’s.

10. Exam Translation Examples
The issues raised in the Show how you know how Warner Bros is owned by
targeting of national and international and global Time/Warner a Media
local audiences (specifically institutions target an conglomerate who make
British) by International or international and local films for an international
global institutions. British audience and global audience. State how
compare this to how British they manage to do this
institutions target their using media language we
audience. have learnt. Compare this to
how Warp target a niche
audience. Discuss relevant
funding, costs, P and A and
why they target different
audiences.
The ways in which your own Include reference to how This should be included as
experience of media your own experience of the element of all your answers.
consumption illustrate wider media shows how You should show how you
aware of the factors that
patterns and trends in audiences may behave. influence the institutions and
audience behaviour. also, demonstrate your
awareness of how audiences
consume films has changed in
recent years

11. Film Four
• Trainspotting
• Looking for Eric
• This is England
• Slumdog Millionaire

12. THE FILM PROCESS
There are three distinct areas of the film industry.
Each one of these could be viewed as a type of media institution.
PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION EXHIBITION
What would you expect to happen at each stage?

13. • Production involves the creation of the media
product and is the responsibility of the
PRODUCTION COMPANY
• This includes all pre-production, production &
post-production processes.
• Before that the writer/director/producer must Warp Films is the FILM
company who
find finance for a film – which may come from PRODUCED This is
one or many production companies (a co- England.
production)
Channel 4 (film 4) co-
financed the film
It was also DISTRIBUTED
by FILM FOUR on TV

14. •Film distributors are responsible for prints and marketing:
PRINTS – producing physical copies of a film for cinema/home
release and finding the exhibitors/retailers to sell the film
MARKETING – raising audience awareness and anticipation of a
new release
•A distributor may:
-Be a part of the same parent company as the production
company
-Have a long term arrangement with a production company and
provide financial assistance for many of their productions Optimum releasing
-Provide financial assistance for a single film by a production distributed This is
company England on DVD – they
-Acquire a film after it has completed production also co-financed the
production
•A film will likely have different distributors for: IFC Films handled the
U.S Theatrical release
-Releases in different countries and Red Envelope
-Cinema Release Entertainment
-Home-Video Release distributed in U.S on
DVD

15. • Exhibition is divided into two sections:
- Cinema – the distributor is paid by the cinema for a copy of the
film FilmFour made its
reputation with films
- Home – the distributor is paid by the company who is selling such as Trainspotting
the film for a copy in 1996, which made
£23m at the box office
• A film’s success is often decided on the amount of money it but cost only £2.4m
makes during it’s cinema release. This is known as the Box and was the highest
Office Takings grossing British film in
1996.
• Home Exhibition is becoming an increasing valuable and However, it was far
varied source for distributors to increase profits. more successful on
DVD, spawning
numerous versions and
WHAT METHODS OF HOME EXHIBITION CAN WE THINK OF? special editions
• Why might a film be more successful on DVD
than in the cinema?

16. RESEARCH TASK - THE LIFE OF A FILM
--STARTING POINT FOR RESEARCH SHOULD BE IMDB.COM – USE COMPANY CREDITS SECTION
1. USING BOTH THIS IS ENGLAND AND THE DARK KNIGHT:
Provide a brief synopsis of your FILMS’ STORIES
Include some of your film’s marketing materials (trailers, posters, cast interviews etc.)
2. PRODUCTION
What was your film’s production budget?
Which Production Company (s) provided the finance? What other films have the company (s) produced?
3. DISTRIBUTION
Who are your films theatrical distributors? How many countries has it been distributed in and what are they?
Who are your films home distributors? How many countries has it been distributed in and what are they
4. EXHIBITION
What was your film’s box office takings? Would you expect it to be shown in BROMLEY CINEMA? Why?
What formats is your film available on for home exhibition?
5. HORIZONTAL & VERTICAL INTEGRATION
Is your film’s production company a subsidiary of a larger company (Horizontally Integrated)?
Are there any signs of horizontal integration between your film’s production company (s) and distributor(s)?

17. RECAP
What do the following terms mean in relation to the film industry?
• Production
• Subsidiary
• Distribution
• Marketing
• Exhibition
• Horizontal Integration
• Vertical Integration